I just caught myself up on 'The Grudge' trilogy, I'd seen part I at the theater.

I'd like to applaude the director and entire creation from the producers. These last two films were very nicely done from a horror perspective.

The two films (part II & III) didn't fall off. The suspence is damn good and the irony and surprise are very welcomed by these creators. I'm not very schooled on the director. But i'd recommend both - as the horror scenes are very damned creepy. Not what I expected after #1 scared the piss out of me. I'd expected let down.
I don't think the acting was that great - nor horrible. Both II & III, alike; kept the dramatic scenes pretty mellow - so any acting wouldn't be that challenging and practically auto pilot. I noticed they were increase/decreasing the pitch of the volume quite a bit - especially as the suspense increased.